


Spit and Polish

by Aaronna



Series: Those Left Behind [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Accidents Happen, Attempted Murder, Desertion, Failed Plans, Gen, Name Change, No beta: we die like men, Plotting, all typos and grammar mistakes are my own, slip!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:27:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28615794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aaronna/pseuds/Aaronna
Summary: They had made those parts of the deck as smoother than blown glass, but it was all for nothing.
Relationships: Suo & Lee
Series: Those Left Behind [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2076399
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Spit and Polish

Most of the crew knew Commander - Sorry - Admiral Zhao was very set in his ways and always inspected the deck for rust or damage following the same path every time. This meant different things to different people. Slackers knew where their leader could see them, those practicing bending on deck knew where to go to distract the man from a botched cleaning job, and Suo and Lee thought it was the perfect way to end the tyrant pushing them to their deaths.

As bunkmates, it was easy to make the plan and they knew it was the perfect way to kill him. The best part, there was no way they could be blamed for it. They were just going to do the very best at their job.

In the past, they hadn't done their duty to this extent for a good reason, but they now had an even better reason to do it. Everyone else would see the danger immediately and steer clear of the area. Their imperious leader, on the other hand, wouldn't even think about it in his pure arrogance and failing sanity.

What was their job? It was a colonial duty that no Island-born soldier would ever be assigned. Mopping and oiling the deck.

All they had to do was bemoan that Admiral Zhao was angry about a small rust spot during breakfast to explain their sudden vigilance. They didn't just apply one coat either. They baked on each layer and made sure the areas by the rails were slicker than polished ice. They added multiple layers everywhere so not to look too suspicious, but the slippery areas were only in the path the madman always followed.

"Where is he? Isn't he usually up here ranting about the Avatar or the cat by now?"

"Yes, but those yowls were near his quarters last night, so maybe he slept in today."

The man showed up shortly before lunch and looked as though he hadn't slept at all. Just before he reached the first slippery spot, a pale blur tripped him up, causing him to fall forward instead of towards the rail as planned. This happened three more times, proving the cat knew what was happening and was saving the person screaming for her hide.

Floors out of the question, next they tried to "accidentally" maim him with weapons they were charged with maintaining. Again it was a failure and they were not blamed either. It was all accredited to the vengeful kitty they had picked up. 

Other tactics were attempted in the following days. While the man was off tracking the Avatar's healer friend, the two tried to think up a working plan, but before they did, the Admiral was back and more insane than they had ever seen him. They tried oiling the stairs, but with the healers locked up and only allowed out to treat the badly injured, Lee quickly convinced Suo they needed to leave.

Admiral Zhao imprisoned them because he believed the cat took the human form of the healer he had mistreated back at the stronghold. How long would it take for the man to decide that, since the girl was colonial, anyone not from the home islands needed to be locked up too? They didn't know, but Lee wasn't going to stick around to find out.

When the desertion started, Suo was one of the first to think of using the smaller vessels to ferry people ashore. They stuck around helping others get away for a few days before they left too. Later, when they heard the news about what happened after they left, they thanked Agni they left when they did.

Prince Iroh, the silver-tongued Dragon of the West, had convinced some of the people they had helped escape to return to the fleet. They had all gone north only to have their food to be destroyed, their engines sabotaged, and their bending limited by the short days of polar winters. Those that fled told stories about ghosts, spirits, and the complete desolation of the fleet.

One person said their ship had returned two days after they fled on to find empty vessels. There were no bodies to give a proper burial to, no survivors to rescue, and no sign of the watertribe. It was beyond uncanny.

The next day, Suo and Lee parted ways. One was going home to move his family somewhere away from the sea and the threat from the sea while the other was joining the crews heading north to retrieve the empty fleet. Both changed their names so no one would know who they were.

Unbeknownst to the other, they both chose the same name. Eza, meaning eager to help or dedicated to Agni. Lee chose it to show his determination to see his family safe and Suo to prove his commitment to following the will of the Sun.


End file.
